Today, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon
spacecraft are set to launch the CRS-3 mission to the International Space
Station (ISS) for NASA. Liftoff is targeted for 4:58pm EDT
from SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon will be
loaded with nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies and science experiments bound for
the ISS, and if all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will berth with the
station around 7:00am EDT on
Wednesday April 16th. A full mission press kit is attached.

During
tomorrow’s CRS-3 launch to station, SpaceX will attempt to recover
Falcon 9’s first stage. This test is not a primary mission objective and
has a low probability of success (30-40%), but we hope to gather as
much data as possible to support future testing. After stage
separation, when Dragon is well on its way to the ISS, the first stage
will attempt to execute a reentry burn and then a landing burn over the
Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9 is carrying four landing legs, which will
deploy partway into the landing burn. Eventually, SpaceX hopes to land
the first stage on land. Though success is unlikely with this test, it
represents an exciting effort toward someday developing a reusable
rocket.

Landing legs are mounted onto the Falcon 9 rocket for its upcoming trip to station. Will be ~60 ft span when deployed! For now Falcon 9 will continue to land in the ocean, but once precision control is refined, the rocket will land on land.